Secrets and Lies | ✔️

Chapter 20 - Conrad

Ch.20 - Conrad.

A steady blanket of rain fell over the city of Seattle the day Steven moved into his dorm. Elizabeth spent the entire drive crying, tears falling down her cheeks as consistent as the raindrops outside, as if her one and only child were moving to the opposite end of the earth instead of merely across town.

As far as Conrad was concerned, across town wasn't far enough. He had urged Steven to attend Stanford University, his alma mater, but his son had no interest in following in his father's footsteps. Right down to his field of study, Steven had fought him every step of the way. Conrad had earned an engineering degree before finally moving on to the MBA program. He'd tried to convince his son that was the smartest way to go, but Steven wouldn't listen. He'd stubbornly insisted on studying Applied Mathematics. With a degree like that, he'd be lucky to bring home 115,000 a year. Petty change compared to his annual income.

But who was he to argue? The fact was, he was just happy to have the kid out of the house. Eighteen long years of having his son underfoot was finally coming to an end, and not a moment too soon. He could barely stand to look at Steven anymore, let alone be in the same room.

Against all odds, his son had grown into a strapping, young man. Strong-willed, confident, and competent--despite his mother's constant coddling. She'd spent Steven's entire childhood hovering over him, protecting him from pain, disappointment and failure. . .a massive blow to the psyche if ever there was one. How was a child supposed to learn and grow when they had their mommy taking care of everything for them? She'd been more worried about protecting his self-esteem than allowing him to figure things out on his own. In his opinion, she'd failed their son by always telling him how wonderful and special he was instead of letting him experience the cold hand of reality. Conrad had worried Steven would be unable to function in the real world once he realized he wouldn't be hand-fed forever. And what bothered him most of all was the fear that Steven would never want to leave home. That he'd be stuck with him forever inside the four walls of his estate.

Thankfully, that was not the case. Steven wasn't going far, but at least he was moving out of the house, which was more than Conrad had ever expected to see. Of course, his mother had tried to convince him to stay home and commute back and forth to school, but Steven had resisted. He even seemed happy to leave, much to his mother's dismay. He promised to visit her every week. With any luck it would be while he was at work, that way they would never have to run into each other. And Conrad knew that would suit them both just fine. There was no love lost in their relationship, a fact that didn't seem to bother either one of them. It was almost sick, however, the way Elizabeth treated their son. Like a lover she couldn't bare to give up. Getting used to an empty house was going to be hard on her, and Conrad hoped she wouldn't become an even bigger inconvenience than she already was.

They'd met several other students while moving into the dorm, accompanied by doting parents and heaps of belongings. Excited chatter surrounded them, but Conrad and Steven didn't have much to say while they unpacked his clothing and books in the tiny room. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air, interrupted by the occasional sound of Elizabeth's soft whimpers.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay at home?" She sniffled again, addressing Steven with sorrowful eyes. "What if you get sick and need someone to take care of you?"

Steven stopped what he was doing and approached her, placing his hands firmly on each one of her shoulders. "I'll be fine, Mom. If I get sick, I'll call home. You don't have anything to worry about."

"But what if you have laundry that needs tended to and you don't have time to take care of it yourself?"

Steven smiled and enveloped her in a tight hug. "I'll bring my laundry by the house every week, how does that sound? You can wash my dirty clothes if you really want to." He chuckled softly.